"You've been watching me this whole time, haven't you?" Ester's voice was barely a whisper, thin and fragile as if the slightest vibration would break it.
The interior of the Rolls-Royce was a sanctuary of silence, insulated from the howling wind and the chaos they had left behind at the Blackwood estate. The scent of sandalwood and expensive leather was overwhelming, a stark contrast to the smell of betrayal that had choked her for the last hour.
Dominic Sterling didn't look at her immediately. His hands, large and steady, rested on the steering wheel with effortless grace. He took a corner with surgical precision before finally casting a brief, intense glance her way.
"Watching is a strong word, Ester. I prefer to think of it as ensuring my most valuable investment didn't go bankrupt," Dominic replied. His tone was casual, almost playful, yet there was an underlying gravity that made her skin prickle.
"I'm an investment now?" Ester asked, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "I'm a person, Dominic. A person who spent five years thinking her husband loved her, only to find out he was a parasite fed by a man he hated."
"He was a parasite," Dominic agreed, his voice dropping an octave. "But you weren't the one he was feeding on. You were the one producing the lifeblood. He was just the mosquito I allowed to stay on the wall because you seemed to want him there."
Ester pulled his charcoal jacket tighter around her shoulders. It was far too big for her, making her feel small and swallowed by his presence. "You could have told me. You could have reached out years ago."
"And say what?" Dominic turned the car onto the main highway, the city lights of the metropolis beginning to shimmer in the distance. "Hey, Ester, I know you're married to a mediocre ego-maniac, but I'm secretly buying his bank debt so he doesn't fail and make you sad? You would have called me a stalker and blocked my number."
"I wouldn't have," she murmured, though she knew he was probably right. Seven years ago, she had been a different person—idealistic, desperate for a family, and blinded by Xavier's 'struggling artist' act. "Why did you do it, Dominic? Why did you fund those projects? Why the Emerald City?"
Dominic slowed the car as they approached a red light. He turned his body slightly toward her, his blue eyes capturing hers in the dim light of the cabin. "Because the world deserves to see what you can build. And because I promised myself that if I couldn't have you, I would at least make sure you had everything else you ever dreamed of."
Ester felt a lump form in her throat. "That's ... that's insane. It's been seven years. We were just kids at the university. You were the boy I shared my lunch with, not a billionaire who manipulates the global market."
"People change, Ester. You became an architect who builds dreams. I became the man who owns the land those dreams are built on," Dominic said. The light turned green, and the car surged forward with a powerful, silent hum.
"So, what happens now?" Ester asked, looking out the window as they passed the familiar skyscrapers of the business district. "Where are you taking me? I don't have a penny to my name, Dominic. Xavier made sure of that. I can't stay at a hotel like this."
"You aren't going to a hotel," Dominic said firmly.
"Then where? My old apartment was sold years ago. I literally have nowhere to go."
Dominic let out a low, dark chuckle. "Do you honestly think I'd let the woman who designed the most iconic skyline in the country sleep in a dusty apartment or some five-star suite with a stranger in the next room?"
"Dominic, I'm serious. I need to figure out my life. I need to find a lawyer, I need to—"
"I've already hired a legal team for you," he interrupted. "Six of the best divorce and intellectual property attorneys in the hemisphere. They started working the moment I saw Xavier's car leave the gala early. By tomorrow morning, every patent he tried to steal back will be tied up in so much litigation he won't be able to build a lego set, let alone a city."
Ester stared at him, her mouth slightly open. "You ... you moved that fast?"
"I move fast when I've waited seven years for a window to open," he said, his eyes fixed on the road. "As for where you're staying ... you're staying with me."
"At your house? Dominic, that's inappropriate. People will talk. The press is already going to go wild when they hear about the divorce."
"Let them talk," Dominic shrugged, his jaw set in a hard line. "My estate has enough wings for us to never see each other if that's what you want. But you'll be safe. Xavier won't be able to get within three miles of you without a security team neutralizing him."
"Is that why you're doing this? For my safety?"
Dominic gripped the steering wheel a little tighter. "I'm doing this because I can finally breathe again. For five years, I've had to watch you through a lens, Ester. I've had to read reports on your health, your work, and even the times that bastard made you cry. Do you have any idea how hard it was not to burn his world down every single day?"
Ester was silent. The intensity of his words was frightening, yet strangely comforting. For years, she had felt like she was carrying the weight of Blackwood Corp on her back alone. To hear that someone had been standing behind her the whole time was overwhelming.
"Why didn't you stop him from marrying me?" she asked softly.
Dominic's expression softened for a fleeting second, a flash of old pain crossing his features. "Because you looked happy. And I wasn't powerful enough then to give you the life you deserved. I had to go back to the UK, I had to fight my uncles for the inheritance, I had to build Sterling Group from the ashes. By the time I came back for you ... you were already wearing his ring."
"I waited for you, you know," Ester said, the confession slipping out before she could stop it. "That summer after graduation. I waited by the pier every day for a month."
Dominic's jaw tightened. "I sent letters, Ester. Dozens of them."
"I never got a single one."
The car suddenly swerved slightly before Dominic corrected it. His voice was a low growl now. "Xavier. He was the one who handled the mail at your shared studio back then, wasn't he?"
Ester nodded, a cold realization dawning on her. "He told me you had moved on to a Lady in London. He showed me a tabloid picture ...."
"A fake," Dominic spat. "He played us both, Ester. He knew you were my weakness, and he knew I was his only competition. He didn't just steal your designs; he stole our time."
They pulled up to a massive set of iron gates, even larger and more formidable than Xavier's. The sign on the side read: Sterling Heights. As the gates opened, a sprawling limestone mansion came into view, illuminated by soft golden lights.
"We're here," Dominic said, bringing the car to a smooth stop in the circular driveway.
Ester looked at the palace in front of her. "It's beautiful. Did you design the gardens? They look like the ones from my old sketches."
"I did," Dominic said, turning off the engine. "I kept every sketch you ever threw away in college. I built this place for you, Ester. Even when I thought you'd never see it."
Ester looked at him, her heart hammering against her ribs. The betrayal of Xavier was still a raw wound, but the presence of Dominic was a soothing balm she wasn't sure she was ready to accept.
"Dominic, there's something you should know about the Emerald City project," Ester said as he moved to get out of the car.
He paused, his hand on the door handle. "What is it?"
Ester took a deep breath, her eyes flashing with a new, vengeful light.
"Xavier thinks he has the final blueprints. But I didn't just sign the divorce papers tonight .... I also activated a self-destruct code in the server. In forty-eight hours, every file related to that project will vanish. Unless the real architect logs in to verify the backup, Blackwood Corp will have nothing but blank screens to show the investors."
Dominic's eyes widened, and then a slow, wicked grin spread across his face.
"So, you've finally learned how to play the game, my Queen. Shall we go inside and watch him burn?"